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“I remember making biltong as a boy in the kitchen with my dad, and my late grandfather always had his homemade biltong drying on his stoep.”
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Are you looking for good, tasty biltong in the Netherlands? It can now be delivered to your doorstep with Runder Biltong.
Runder Biltong is a South African-Dutch company producing traditional biltong from their commercial kitchen in Amstelveen. The biltong is made from Dutch beef, with a unique blend of roasted spices and a 36-hour marinading process, allowing the beef to absorb as much flavour as possible.
Kyle Hodgson, co-owner and founder of Runder, tells us more.
Kyle Hodgson
What inspired you to start Runder Biltong?
When I moved to the Netherlands from South Africa in late 2016, I noticed a severe lack of quality, tasty biltong available in the Netherlands, at an affordable price. So, I started making my own biltong at home for my wife, Emily, and myself in a “biltong box” that I had brought over from South Africa.
After a few months of making my own biltong, I became more confident in the recipe and process I had developed, and I was getting very enthusiastic responses from friends and other people who got to taste it. I was very excited to share this quintessentially South African product with more people in the Netherlands!
What kind of biltong products do you offer?
Currently, we are producing beef biltong with a traditional spice flavour consisting mainly of salt, pepper and roasted coriander. We make two types of biltong with this flavour – lean biltong and biltong with fat. Leaner biltong is perceived by many people to be healthier, while the fattier biltong is more indulgent. The fattier biltong is very popular with those people following a ketogenic or a higher-fat, low-carb diet.
Runder Biltong is made with a unique blend of roasted spices
We are also producing beef snap sticks, which are drier than regular biltong and made from very thin cuts of lean beef, with the same flavour profile as traditional biltong. We sell snap sticks with or without chilli.
Where did you and your partner, Wesley Veldhuizen, learn to make biltong?
Biltong is a national staple snack food item in South Africa. I remember making biltong as a boy in the kitchen with my dad, and my late grandfather always had his homemade biltong drying on his stoep.
From South Africa, I brought over the traditional biltong method and recipe, and experimented and developed that recipe in Amsterdam. When I met Wesley, he didn’t know about biltong (yet), but he liked the samples I gave him. He and his wife, Moniek, had an existing business, which produces smoked meats, in Amsterdam, and I think that when we met, he saw a similar passion and drive in me to what he had had when starting their business, The Dutch Proud.
Kyle with his business partner, Wesley Veldhuizen
When we started talking about producing biltong together, Wesley had lots of experience and input to help scale the biltong production process onto a more commercial scale, and joining forces with him has been paramount to Runder’s success so far.
Your website describes Runder Biltong as an honest and healthy product. How do you ensure that your product is up to this standard?
Much of the commercially produced biltong (often confused with jerky) you can find in the Netherlands and abroad contains many non-natural ingredients and artificial flavouring.
A Runder snack board with sliced biltong and snap sticks
We have carefully developed our process and recipe over time, and we are very proud that we are not using any artificial ingredients or flavouring, and no added sugars, gluten, MSG, etc. Our product is made with Dutch beef, salt and spices; it’s really quite simple.
Our most popular biltong (the lean version) is naturally a high source of protein, low in calories and also incredibly delicious.
People can order biltong from your website to be delivered to their door. Are there any other places in the Netherlands where people can buy your biltong?
Currently, we are selling biltong and snap sticks to a number of restaurants, office canteens and CrossFit locations in Amsterdam. If you don’t want to order it online, you can try the biltong at the Lion’s Head Brew Bar in De Pijp (Van Woustraat), Braai Amsterdam (all three locations: Westerpark, Vondelpark and Rivierenbuurt), Coco’s Outback (Thorbeckeplein), Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam Noord, or at the vending machine at CrossFit Amsterdam West (Karperweg).
How long does the delivery take?
We promise a 3–5-day delivery time, but our postal deliveries within Amsterdam are usually quicker than this. We are constantly working on improving our processes and aiming to shorten delivery time.
You can order biltong from Runder and have it delivered anywhere in the EU. If you are not able to find your preferred delivery location on the website, you can contact Runder and we will add your location to the delivery options.
At your door: Runder mail-delivery package
What is the scariest thing about opening a new business?
Honestly, I have found opening a business to be more exciting than scary. Given that biltong is relatively unknown to the Dutch market, our main goal is getting the market to respond to our product in a positive way.
Making a product that people desire to buy (repeatedly) is crucial, but delivering that product in a pleasing way and consistently providing good customer service are just as important.
We have had lots of support already from the large South African community in the Netherlands. The South African people need their biltong.
What have the biggest highlights been for you and your partner thus far?
The biggest highlight for Runder, so far, has been receiving such positive feedback from our customers! We love to hear from people who enjoy eating and sharing our biltong.
Buro: MvH